Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Gingerbread Man (1998)

Director: Robert Altman

Writers: John Grisham, Clyde Hayes

Composer:  Mark Isham

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz, Robert Downey Jr., Daryl Hannah, Robert Duvall, Tom Berenger, Famke Janssen, Clyde Hayes, Mae Whitman, Jesse James, Troy Byer

More info: IMDb


Plot:  Lawyer Rick Magruder has a one-night-stand affair with caterer Mallory Doss. He becomes hooked on her, and when he learns her nut-case father Dixon is threatening her, he puts the weight of his law firm behind Mallory, has Dixon arrested and subpoenas her ex-husband Pete to testify against Dixon in court. Dixon is sent to an asylum, but escapes from there and the lives of many people are in danger.



My rating:  6.5/10


Will I watch it again?  No.

Remember back in the 90s when Branagh was all over the place in movies?  Yeah?  Well this is one of them.  It's a decent drama but it lacks the tension it takes to make this a decent thriller, which is surprising since this is from Robert Altman.  Granted, it was his first foray into the genre but surely he could've chosen something better.  I guess people thought that Grisham could do no wrong.  Surprise.  The Brit Branagh's Southern accent is good but someone should've stopped Downey from speaking with one.  He should've stuck with his normal dialect.  Not everyone in the South has an accent, you know.  Downey's is pretty bad and at times it's like an Elvis impression.  The Universal DVD has the film in non-anamorphic widescreen.  You get two extras, the theatrical trailer (non-anamorphic widescreen) and a commentary track with Altman.  That's it. 

No comments:

Post a Comment